The following post is one in a series of inspiring stories from NGPF's Gold Standard Challenge Grant Program which incentivizes high schools and districts to commit to ALL students taking personal finance courses before graduation. Learn more, and apply for your $2,500 to $30,000 Gold Standard Challenge Grant before the August 31, 2022 deadline here.

About Today's Guest Author

Amber Krapp is a teacher at Pingree-Buchanan High School in Pingree, North Dakota. Their school is the 41st recipient of a $10,000 Gold Standard Challenge grant. Here is Amber describing Pingree-Buchanan’s path to the Gold Standard!

Describe a rough timeline for how you and/or your colleagues were able to advocate for personal finance to become a graduation requirement in your school/district. How long did it take? What were the major progress milestones?

We have always offered personal finance as an elective at our school. After having a discussion with the Superintendent and the School Board, it was quickly determined that having this course as a requirement was a great idea. After seeing how the course teaches so many worthy life skills, everyone jumped on board. We started implementing the program as of this current school year (2020) and had the Board approve it at a recent meeting. One of the biggest milestones was having students tell others how much this class prepared them for their future.

What challenges did you encounter in your efforts to make personal finance a graduation requirement, and what solutions did you find for these challenges?

The biggest challenge was getting the requirement approved at a Board meeting. It was easy to get everyone on board with the idea, but going through the requirements and being put on the schedule took a little bit of time. Being persistent and promoting the program were huge factors in getting this program approved.

What/who were the "catalysts for change" that allowed your efforts to be successful?

The students, administration, and Board were very helpful in implementing this positive change for our school. Everyone was essential in getting this graduation requirement set. Students were especially helpful in advocating for the program and showing others how it helped them prepare for their future

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